The Unexpected Visit
by hmonkey423
Summary: This was a gift for a dear friend. Chizuru surprises Hijikata on a cold, winter night.


Hijikata sat at his table, close to the floor. The pillows he was sitting on were brightly colored, with radical patterns on them. He paid no attention to such trivial matters as a color preference, though. He had other things on his mind. He could feel the tense pain rising from deep inside of him, but he forced it back down. He had to ignore it. Being a demon had its quirks, but he was trying to change. He thought that the bloodlust made him weak. Weakness was no option for a powerful demon as himself, but lately he has been feeling off. He didn't understand it himself. Every time he was near that person, he felt something... different. Even though he wanted to be stronger, and ignore that feeling, he simply couldn't. His curiosity was stronger than his sense of pride in himself. Hijikata shifted on his pillow, and sat up a little straighter. He adjusted his dark kimono and closed his eyes. Maybe a meditation would allow him to let this go. He just wasn't sure if it was worth it to do so.

He felt the cool breeze entering from the door just rooms away. As he inhaled and exhaled, his warm breath was visible in the air as he tried to focus, and stifle this convoluted feeling within.

***

Chizuru took a deep breath. She was nervous, but really excited. The cool air pricked her skin as she walked towards Hijikata's house. Her hands trembled around the hot thermos she was holding. She thought, because it was so cold, she would bring him some hot tea. He was always one for tradition, and drinking hot tea daily was something she knew he would enjoy. Plus, things between them have seemed tense lately. She didn't understand. While he was a stoic type, they seemed to be getting a little close. All of a sudden, he became slightly distant from her. She thought bringing him something on a cold day would maybe fix things between them. She felt her cheeks burn a little thinking of him as she approached his front door. Maybe she was over-thinking it, but she cared for him so much, she wanted to at least try.

****

Hijikata opened his eyes as he heard a gentle knock on the front door. He stood up, carefully fixed his kimono again (it had to be appropriate for a guest) and made his way to the door. It was probably one of the samurai again, asking for advice. He was one of the most powerful, and occasionally a few of them would come to him in secret and ask him for training advice. He carefully opened the door, and his eyes widened when he saw the small girl trembling before him in the cool, outside air. Immediately he felt something stir inside of him. Avoiding eye contact with a faint pink in his cheeks, he quickly said, "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be out in the cold."  
Chizuru held her ground, even though she already felt like he didn't want her there. She smiled as she looked up at him.  
"I brought you some tea," she responded calmly, "it's very cold outside and I thought you would appreciate it."  
He sighed. He couldn't let her stand out there in the cold, it pained him to see her shivering like that. But he didn't want to get too close to him, either. He was unsure of what might happen.  
He nodded, trying to be as indifferent as possible.  
"Well, come on in then."  
He led her to his room, trying to remain calm. She followed excitedly, bouncing in her step as she entered the room.  
"Still looks just the same!" She said, trying to keep a positive attitude. "Let me pour you some tea."  
She carefully removed her jacket to reveal her own, flower-patterned kimono. Because she was so small, it was a little loose, and you could see a lot of skin around her neck.  
Hijikata had to catch his breath.  
"Y-yeah, that's fine..." He managed, resuming his seat at his table.  
Chizuru brought him a single small ceramic cup and placed it in front of him.  
"Do you not want any?" He asked, trying not to look at the bare skin around her neck.  
"No, I brought it for you!" She replied, grinning at him.  
She bent over in front of him as she poured him the cup of tea. It took all of his willpower to not watch her do that, but he stared a hole into the wall until his peripherals told him she was done.  
"Please, take a seat." He said, as he gestured to the seat across from him.  
She smiled, but took the seat directly next to him. He could smell her sweet scent and felt the pain stir again once more inside of him.  
He nodded in thanks and grabbed the cup in front of him, to try to focus on something else. He sipped the warm, green tea and smiled a little. It was relaxing to drink. He looked over at the smaller girl sitting next to him, and felt a mixture of comfort and pain. Why was he feeling this way?

Chizuru felt his discomfort and placed her hand on his. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"  
He immediately recoiled his hand and looked away from her.  
She looked down and had an expression of slight sadness. Hijikata felt the sharp pang of guilt and put his hand on top of hers, with a slight tinge of warmth in his cheeks. "Sorry," he said, "I was just startled."  
She looked at him with a new light in her eyes.  
He looked at her and knew that it wasn't something he should avoid. He had a hard time expressing his feelings, and he was worried he might hurt her. But maybe... Suddenly, he felt the bloodlust boil inside of him. He cried out and turned away from her.  
She looked up at him and sighed.  
"Is it happening again?"  
He nodded.  
"Please... you can drink my blood. I just want you to be okay."  
He immediately felt weak as he looked at the wall. Here Chizuru was, basically offering herself to him, but he hated himself for allowing that to happen the first time. He wanted to change, and he wanted things to be different. He turned to look at her. She had pulled her kimono down a little off her shoulders, so that he could have easy access to her.  
"Chizuru," he said sadly, looking into her eyes, "don't."  
She grabbed his hands. "Please," she begged, "I want you to."  
She pulled his head toward her neck and braced herself. He could no longer resist. His sharp teeth punctured her skin and she gasped, running her fingers through his ponytail. Hijikata tried his best to not hurt her, as he slowly drank her blood, filling the empty void within him, satisfying his need.

***

Once finished, he felt terrible.  
"I'm sorry."  
He looked out into the distance.  
"I didn't want to hurt you."  
Chizuru sighed and cuddled up next to him. "Don't worry, Hijikata-senpai! I wanted to do that for you. Just..." she hesitated. Was this an appropriate thing to say?  
"What is it?" He said, looking at her, silently begging her to finish what she was going to say.  
She decided that she might as well say it, because this may be her last chance.  
"Please don't do that with anyone else."  
He carefully placed his arm around her. "Honestly, you're the only person I have ever WANTED to do that to." He sighed, feeling the pain of showing weakness surround him. "You are different."  
Chizuru felt the warmth surround her heart as they sat there.  
Hijikata sighed and looked at her. "If you tell anyone of this, I will have to kill you."  
Chizuru giggled and made sure to stay snuggled up to him for the rest of the evening.


End file.
